I Knew Everything!

I had the chance to get my shoes shined last week and found more wisdom in the person shining my shoes than I do in most people I meet on a daily basis. Life has been hard to him but he also has finally learned from his mistakes. He says it took him the opportunity to be locked up for 7 years to learn he didn’t know it all. “I knew everything but my own ignorance” he said. “I was always with a pocket full of money and living for the moment. My decisions were always about me and what I wanted at that moment. How could I get satisfaction or how could I get enjoyment at that moment. Most of the time it was alcohol and women; it took me going to jail to learn what gives you pleasure gives you pain.” Think about it! As he took the time to shine my shoes he kept on talking about how he made the wrong choices kept on making the wrong choices. But now he saw the light and realized that it wasn’t about now, it was about the rest of his life. He is now saving money and planning for his retirement. Think about that, this man shines shoes for a living and he is saving money and planning for his retirement. How many people in this country make $100,000 a year and don’t manage to save money. I don’t know what my enlightened shoe shiner earns, but I know that for a $5 shine I gave him a $5 tip. Those two quotes, “I knew everything but my own ignorance” and “what gives you pleasure gives you pain” were worth more to me than my college education.

So what does this have to do with buying a home or financing a home? I hate to say that if you didn’t get the message then you weren’t paying attention. Quit living beyond your means! Start saving money! Stop using credit cards. Here is a quote for you, “only poor people use credit cards.” Stop believing that you have to live better than your friends or at least as good as them. If they are your friends they will accept you for who you are not what you look like. This applies to your home also. Do you really need that giant house? Do you really need that new car? Is what giving you pleasure now going to give you pain later in life? Remember our entire economy is on the brink of disaster. The Federal Deficit is growing by the second. Be sure that you are preparing for the future and not living for the present.

For questions of comments, please contact Chris Scheer at cscheer@cornerstonestl.com or 314.223.9824.